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The US got some help earlier in the day with Ghana, their next opponent, stunning the Czech Republic 2-0 to keep the group close-knit going into the third day of action. The US, despite surprising many with their dominant play against Italy, were only able to register a point in a 1-1 draw in a game filled with controvercy as three players were sent off, leaving Italy with 10 men after USL Hall of Famer Brian McBride had his face cut open on an elbow and the US with nine after Pablo Mastroeni was sent off for a late tackle and Eddie Pope at the opening of the second half for a second yellow. Italy got on the board first on a free kick when Andrea Pirlo found Alberto Gilardino for a header past former USL-1 goalkeeper Kasey Keller 22 minutes in. Five minutes later, the US were handed a gift as Cristian Zaccardo attempted clearance sent the ball back into his own net to put the game level. Keller would go on to make two fantastic stops late in the match to preserve the draw.
I sit in absolute amazement. Down on the enclosed field of futuristic Gelsenkirchen's stadium, a performance so much from the past that it could only be a vision of things to come unfolds goal by goal by goal … six times in all. The World Cup's first true mesmerizing turn comes not so much as a shock because it was Argentina scoring six goals. Nearly every observer worth his soccer salt knows the Gauchos can beat any team. Their depth and quality rival Brazil's, but their confidence is not always up to par. This was supposed to go down as a tough battle that Argentina would dominate, squeak out a goal, hold on for dear life, and, when it was done, breathe a sigh of relief. Well, so much for probabilities. The Serbs are on the next plane home and the Argentines are the toast of the Cup … so far.Read Marcos' full report at the Tampa Tribune >>
After spending eight days in Germany watching five live games, I figured it was time my son, Julian, and I take a break and do some bonding. Being that each of Thursday's three games was at least three hours away, I figured that we'd stay "home" and watch all three on TV. That, of course, only consumed a combined 10 hours. Being at the World Cup is tough work, if you can get it. Traveling to a game requires serious planning. You don't just buy tickets to three U.S. games and party the rest of the time. That is for casual fans, not the kind who commit several thousand dollars to this quadrennial exercise. You must know when and how to get to the stadium and exactly where it is.
Read Marcos' full report at the Tampa Tribune >>
The boys from Trinidad & Tobago put a scare into colonial rival England Thursday afternoon with former USL First Division Rookie of the Year Stern John nearly giving the islanders a lead in the second half on two occasions, including one that had to be cleared off the line. With Rooney back on the pitch for the Three Lions, England finally broke through late to finish with a 2-0 win. Here's what the scene was just down the street from the USL office at a local watering hole that is a regular spot for the English faithful, who looked a little nervous at the break: View >>
So after 16 matches, how does it all stack up? Are the favorites measuring up? Have there been any unforeseen upsets? Who are the stars on the rise? Well, it's a little early for final answers, but trends have emerged.Read Marcos' wrap-up of the first round of games and what's coming up at the Tampa Tribune >>
Just three years ago, German international star Juergen Klinsmann was living in Los Angeles assisting in the development of young American talent for Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League, occasionally taking the field to provide lessons in person during the matches. He played eight games, scoring five goals and three assists while playing under the alias of Jay Goppingen (the name of his hometown) in obscurity... well, for a little while anyway.
Now... he's 2-0-0 as the Manager of Germany in the World Cup. Germany downed Poland 1-0 on a stoppage time goal from Oliver Neuville this afternoon after dominating the match with a 16-5 advantage in shots. Germany sits at 2-0-0 in the group, virtually assuring them of advancing to the Round of 16, which could be locked up with tomorrow's game between Ecuador and US rival Costa Rica.
"I have no doubt Arena will make some drastic changes, but another 48 hours are probably needed for those to become clear. One serious problem for the coach to sort out is struggling DaMarcus Beasley. Should Arena play him or sit him? Landon Donovan, meanwhile, cannot be left out of the starting lineup. But in Monday's match he wasn't there, for all intents and purposes. Which brings me to a story that somewhat illustrates a serious overall problem with a lot of potential American soccer pros and eventual national team stars.About five years ago, an unhappy and clearly homesick Donovan was toiling in Germany, having signed a lucrative and much-ballyhooed contract with German powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen when he was just 17. A German coach friend of mine commented that for him, Landon had "all the tools to be as good as or better than this other kid, Rosicky," a reference to then-20-year-old Tomas Rosicky. At the time, Rosicky was a young Czech star just signed by Borussia Dortmund. Like Donovan, Rosicky had the skill, the pace and the shooting ability. You can look at the physical similarities, the whole package.In the five years since Donovan came home to California and Major League Soccer, he has been a star in MLS. Moreover, he came home to a relaxed lifestyle, Southern California beaches and the run of the show.
Rosicky, meanwhile, stuck it out in grim, industrial, cold Dortmund. Stuck to the business at hand, knowing the alternative was a lifelong trip back to Prague, as opposed to the one he will take shortly after the World Cup to join powerhouse Arsenal of London. The world will be at his feet.Rosicky, you might remember, destroyed Donovan's U.S. team on Monday with two superb goals."
Read the full report from Marcos at the Tampa Tribune >>
The US team’s game against the Czech Republic on Monday earned the highest rating (2.3) and the largest audience (2.06 million households) ever for a soccer game on ESPN2, according to Nielsen. The previous all-time high for a soccer game on ESPN2 was set during Saturday’s Argentina-Ivory Coast match, which received a 1.8 rating (1.6 million households).
US viewership for the FIFA World Cup on ESPN2 has more than doubled compared to previous editions of the world’s biggest sporting event. For the first weekend of games on ESPN2, Nielsen reported an increase in number of households of 252 percent compared to the 1998 tournament and an increase of 191 percent compared to the first weekend of the 2002 tournament.
Prior to the first US game, the five live ESPN2 telecasts during this year’s opening weekend earned an average rating of 1.4 (1.2 million households) compared to a 0.5 rating (426,531 households) in 2002, when games took place in early morning hours because the tournament was held in Japan and Korea.
In 1998, when France hosted the World Cup and kickoff times were similar to those of this year’s event, the first seven games on ESPN2 earned a 0.6 rating (352,686 households).
Welcome to Rochester, NY, where with three weekly radio soccer shows and a weekly television show, soccer fans are as passionate about their sport as their European counterparts. And for these supporters of the American squad, optimism reigns. Twenty-five members of the Stampede, a group of rabid soccer enthusiasts who usually unite to cheer on the Rochester Rhinos, a professional team in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, headed the fan rally on Monday. Tommy Smyth, a World Cup analyst for ESPN who has called more than 1,300 soccer games, including some Rhinos matches, says Rochester is as rabid a town for soccer as any in the US. "Rochester is the only place in the United States that I found people in their daily life talking about soccer," Smyth said via e-mail. "It was just an all-around feeling that soccer was a very important phase in their life."Read the entire feature at USA Today >>
"The quick-witted Scot replied, 'Bleeding [insert your favorite swear word here] Scotland is not even here! So be happy, man!' So there. Be happy the USA is here, because at this pace the Americans will soon be out. To be fair, aside from Claudio Reyna, no one else did, either. On the right wing, DaMarcus Beasley will have the excuse of not being a right-sided player, which he is not, and to accommodate Beasley and left flanker Bobby Convey, Arena played both. That was wrong, dead wrong. Beasley has been lackluster in the run-up to the Cup, and to put him out of his natural habitat was an invitation to a disaster. So now where do we go?"
Read the rest of Marcos' report at the Tampa Tribune >>
Former USL First Division Rookie of the Year Stern John believes his Trinidad & Tobago side can stun World Cup favorite England just as it did with Sweden. He was backed up by fellow USL alum Brent Sancho who said, "No-one expected us to get a result against Sweden but we always believed in ourselves. Who knows what can happen now? Getting a draw against Sweden is the biggest moment in our footballing lives but hopefully it will get even better in this tournament." Read the full story at ESPN's Soccernet.com >>
Five USL alum started for the US in a flat tournament-opening performance that saw the Czech Republic score five minutes in on a header from Jan Koller and never look back as Tomas Rosicky added two more to put the match out of reach. Veteran midfielder Claudio Reyna had one of the few chances for the US with a shot that rang off the post. USL alumni in the match were starters Kasey Keller, Pablo Mastroeni, Bobby Convey, DaMarcus Beasley and sub Josh Wolff. Check out the reports from US Soccer and FIFAWorldCup.com. in the other match in the group, upcoming US opponent Italy cruised to a 2-0 win over Ghana.
"When the United States plays the Czech Republic today, it will be the latest version of American soccer's most important game of the new century.... The world judges World Cup success not just on getting there but what you do there regularly. To most of the world, that's what counts. The US, long a doormat in its own region of qualifying (CONCACAF), woke up in 1990 and it has not missed the finals since. And at the very least the Americans share "neighborhood bully" status with Mexico. That's an interesting situation because Mexico has been here 13 times and has never advanced past the quarters. The Mexicans are considered underachievers. The Americans, playing their fifth consecutive tournament, are a better team than in 2004, and yet may not advance to the round of 16. They may not win a game."- Read Marcos' full report at the Tampa Tribune >>- Catch the game on ESPN2 or via MatchTracker at www.ussoccer.com
"Predictions are for hopeless gamblers. I am not one of them. They are also for guest columnists whose editors ask for them. In that regard, I am guilty as charged. That does not necessarily mean that I go into soccer games hoping for my predictions to come true. Quite the contrary is probably more often the rule. Take Day Two at the World Cup: While most observers probably forecast a fairly difficult victory for England and got it in a tight, somewhat flat 1-0 performance against Paraguay, many thought Ivory Coast could be the surprise package from Africa. The "Elephants" of civil war-torn Ivory Coast still might be but as game as they were, they still fell short in their 2-1 loss to Cup contender Argentina. The proverbial box of chocolates came instead in Dortmund's Westfalen Stadium... Believe it: This was a big deal, possibly the most exciting scoreless draw I have ever seen live. For me, viewing the World Cup as a pure soccer fan ended Saturday night. No more saying, "May the best team win" or wanting the underdog to overcome impossible odds. Today, I put my game face on. First, I watch my native Portugal. Monday, I go see the Czech Republic take on the U.S., my adopted country. Things will get personal - very personal. Win at all costs. Suffer for all 90-plus minutes. Live and die with every near miss." Read the full report from Marcos at the Tampa Tribune >>
